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Requirements and Courses

Cole Heinowitz, Associate Professor of Literature. Photo by Scott Barrow

Program Requirements

  • Moderation Overview
    A student planning to major in the Literature Program must take Literature 201 (Narrative/Poetics/Representation) and at least four additional courses in the Division of Languages and Literature. One of these courses may be a Written Arts workshop and one may be a language instruction course. 
    For Moderation, the student submits a critical essay written for Literature 201 or one of their other literature courses, as well as the two short reflection papers required by all programs. These papers are evaluated by a board composed of the student’s adviser and two other members of the Literature Program faculty.
    More about Moderating in Literature
  • Graduation Requirements
    By the time of graduation, students must take at least one course that focuses on literature written before 1800 and at least one course that focuses on literature written after 1800. Courses that satisfy the pre-1800 requirement will be designated as such in the course list.  Moderated students must enroll in a minimum of one 300-level seminar and are strongly encouraged to take at least one world literature course and one junior seminar before embarking on the Senior Project.  In order to graduate, students must also complete a Senior Project and enroll in the year-long Senior Colloquium in Literature (Literature 405-406).
  • The Second Focus
    Students who wish to pursue a second focus in Literature must complete a minimum of five 4-credit courses in the program, all of which must be taken for a letter grade. Of these five courses, no more than two may be at the 100-level; at least one must be at the 200-level; and at least one must be at the 300-level, though second focus students are encouraged to enroll in at least two 300-level courses. Courses in Written Arts and foreign language instruction will not count toward fulfillment of the second focus requirements. However, advanced literature courses that carry the Foreign Language designation as well as literature courses that are taught in translation will count.

Moderation Requirements

Note: Boards are centrally scheduled by the program. Students may name up to three faculty members in addition to the adviser in contributing to the board composition process. One of those three requests will be selected; a third member is designated as an “outside” member who will not necessarily know the student or his/her work personally.

  • Preparing for Moderation
    1. Students submit two short papers to the Registrar (due dates posted on the online academic calendar).
    2. Moderation Boards are composed of the student’s adviser and two other members of the Literature Program faculty. After the Moderation Boards have been determined with the input of both student and adviser, Literature students submit both short papers as well as a critical essay for moderation. The critical essay should represent what the student feels to be his or her strongest work to date. 
    3. Students should bring all three papers to the Moderation Board and be prepared to discuss them constructively and critically.
  • Moderation Papers
    • Paper 1: Approximately two pages. This paper should reflect on the process that has led the student to this point (e.g. motivation to study literature in the Upper College, courses taken, areas of particular interest, areas for improvement).
    • Paper 2: Approximately two pages. This paper should reflect on the student’s aspirations for work in the Upper College (e.g. intended courses, intended areas of focus, ideas for the Senior Project).
    • The Critical Essay: The critical essay should represent what students feel to be their strongest work to date and must be taken from either LIT 201 or one of the student’s other Literature courses.

The Senior Project Process

Senior Projects in Literature represent a year’s worth of writing, research, and thinking. Students usually decide on the nature of their Senior Project in the spring of their junior year and are matched with a faculty member in Literature to serve as their Senior Project adviser at that time. The student meets with this adviser once a week for an hour or so throughout the senior year to discuss the Senior Project, which generally ranges from 40 to 70 pages in length.

  • The Midway
    At the end of the first semester of the senior year, there is normally a Midway, the purpose of which is to give the student feedback on what he or she has accomplished thus far in the project and advice on how he or she might best complete the project. The adviser and one other faculty member, normally in Literature, serve on the Midway Board. The second faculty member should be contacted no later than before Thanksgiving Recess.
  • The Submission of the Senior Project
    Senior Projects are due three weeks prior to the last day of classes. The deadline is strictly enforced. Projects submitted a few days after the deadline will be marked down.

    At the end of junior year, those moderated students who wish to pursue a Senior Project in the Written Arts must apply to, and receive explicit permission from, the writing faculty. 
  • The Senior Project Board
    The Senior Project Board takes place between the deadline for Senior Project submissions and the end of the semester. Normally, the same faculty members who served on the Midway Board also serve on the Senior Project Board. Students may opt to receive either a letter grade or a pass/fail grade for their project. If they wish to receive a pass/fail grade, they must state so at the beginning of the meeting.
  • Research + How-To Guide
    This guide is a starting point for research into literature for your Senior Project. It covers the print and online sources in the Stevenson Library as well as information to help you effectively use these resources. If you need additional help or have further research needs, please feel free to contact Betsy Cawley, or ask any staff member in the library.
    LIT 405 Senior Colloquium Library Guide

Current Courses in Literature

Sample Courses

Historical studies in the comparative, English, and American literature traditions are organized into sequences. 

Requirements for Graduate Study

Students contemplating graduate work in literature might bear in mind that there is no equivalent to Bard’s Literature Program, with its combined offerings in literature, foreign languages, and creative writing. Instead, there are departments of English (where students are expected to study the literature of the British Isles, the United States, and other Anglophone countries); departments of French, German, Italian, etc. (where students are expected to study the literature of these national traditions); and departments of comparative literature (where students are expected to study multiple literatures in their original languages). There are also a few graduate programs in rhetoric, for students interested in argumentation and discourse studies.